Ultrasound-guided Myofascial Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined With Hyaluronic Acid For Osteoarthritis Of The Knee

Objective:This study aims to explore the improvement of clinical symptoms and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis treated with ultrasound-guided myofascial pulsed radiofrequency therapy.Methods:This study is divided into two parts.The first part involves using an improved hip and knee function test to locate key muscle trigger points,and then intervening by using acupuncture needles to deactivate these trigger points,in order to observe improvements in hip and knee function,as well as relief of pain.The second part involves randomly dividing knee osteoarthritis patients who visited the Pain Department and Ward of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from March 2021 to October 2022 into two groups.The control group(n=25)received 2.5ml of intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate in the joint cavity,while the combination group(n=19)received ultrasound-guided myofascial pulsed radiofrequency therapy,followed by 2.5ml of intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate after the completion of radiofrequency therapy.Follow-up evaluations were conducted at baseline,as well as 1 hour,1 day,1 week,1 month,3 months,and 6 months after treatment,using the NRS score,WOMAC score,adverse event occurrence,use of rescue medication,and dosage..Results:After key muscle trigger points were deactivated by acupuncture dry needling,significant improvements in hip and knee function and pain relief were observed in patients.Before treatment,there was no significant difference in scores between the two groups of knee osteoarthritis patients(P>0.05).After one month of treatment,there was a statistically significant difference in pain relief between the two groups compared to before treatment(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference in activity improvement between the two groups compared to before treatment(P>0.05).At 3 and 6 months of follow-up,both groups of patients showed improvements in NRS and WOMAC scores compared to before treatment(P<0.05),and the combination group was superior to the control group in both pain relief and activity improvement(P<0.05).Conclusion:This study designed and validated three modified hip and knee function tests,and found that dry needling therapy can significantly improve hip and knee function.Patients with knee osteoarthritis commonly have dysfunction in hip and knee function.By combining a myofascial pulse radiofrequency treatment of a key muscle with an intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate,patients with knee joint pain showed significant pain relief and improved functional activity.Furthermore,patients in the combined treatment group had better long-term therapeutic effects compared to the control group.